>From ancient times to the present, dramatic literature has been fundamental to theunderstanding of history and culture. Our perception of Greek, European, African and Americancivilization (new and old) has been shaped, in a large part, by readings of the dramatic literatureof those cultures. African American dramatic literature has been an important part of the studyinto the experiences of cultural, psychological and physical circumstances of African Americansand those who have been part of this experience. The first dramatic literatures, the plays ofWilliams Wells Brown, for instance, have greatly contributed to our understanding of the physicaland psychological circumstances of the first Africans in America, both free and enslaved. Ourcurrent understanding of our culture and society in the U.S. is deepened by readings of popularculture, including live theatre and its dramatic literature. However, in the past ten years, lessthan 20 new African American plays have received significant professional productions on theregional stage. More than half of those that have been produced can be attributed to one writer(August Wilson). There are huge silences in the scholarship of American theatre when it comes toidentifying the contributions of African American dramatic literature and performance.

Despite all of this, African American writers playwrights have continued to dedicate themselvesto live, non-profit theatre turning out a prolific body of work that is in danger of being lostforever to future readers, scholars and players. The unaddressed works of African Americandramatic literature represents a silence - an absence of black opinion on the most crucial issuesof the times. If these works remain unattended, a wealth of insight into the 20th and 21stcentury Black existence will be lost to future generations and another great silence surroundingBlack Americans will have been created.

Call of Papers and Participation in the mini-conference August 1-3rd, 2008Indiana University, Bloomington

The mini-conference seeks to stimulate scholarship and discussion surrounding Black theatre â€"its relevance, creation and practice. We seek to create definitions of Black theatre, bothcontinental and abroad, and interrogate it within the context of the Black community, the nationand in relationship to other popular culture as well as identity and honor Black theatre artists,past and present. The conference is organized around a two-week play development workshopwith playwrights Robert Alexander and Niyi Coker, Jr., who will be developing new plays that willbe presented at the conference with professional directors, dramaturg and actors. Papers,workshops, panel discussions and reports are invited on any aspect of Black theatre andperformance.

We are seeking participation from scholars, playwrights, directors and other practitioners of Blacktheatre and performance. Please send abstracts and proposals of 250 words or less (Word or rtfformat), along with a current CV via email to conference organizer, Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe bymidnight EDT, June 1, 2008.E-mail: ecoopera_at_indiana.edu.(Pay particular attention to the â€˜aâ€™ at the end â€˜cooperâ€™ of the email-address!)

Created through a generous gift from the Lilly Endowment Inc., New Frontiers in the Arts andHumanities Program help faculty at Indiana University to expand their work into disciplinary orinterdisciplinary frontiers that promise new insights into the human condition or pursueinnovative directions in artistic creativity. Administrative and financial oversight is provided bythe Office of the Vice Provost for Research